Richard Curtis

Richard Whalley Anthony Curtis, CBE (born 8 November 1956) is an English screenwriter, producer and film director, who was born in New Zealand to Australian parents. One of Britain's most successful comedy screenwriters, he is known primarily for romantic comedy films such as Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bridget Jones's Diary, Notting Hill, and Love Actually, as well as the hit sitcoms Blackadder, Mr. Bean and The Vicar of Dibley. He is also the founder of the British charity Comic Relief along with Lenny Henry.

In 2007, Curtis received the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award, the highest award the British Film Academy can give a filmmaker. Curtis received the BAFTA Humanitarian Award at the 2008 Britannia Awards, for co-creating Comic Relief and contributions to other charitable causes.

Early life and education

Curtis was born in Wellington, New Zealand, the son of Australian parents Glyness S. and Anthony J. Curtis, who was an executive at Unilever. His father was a Czechoslovakian refugee who moved to Australia when aged thirteen. Curtis and his family lived in several different countries during his childhood, including Sweden and the Philippines, before moving to England when he was 11.

Robin Driscoll

Robin Driscoll is a British actor and writer, best known as a writer of Mr. Bean. He and Rowan Atkinson are close friends; he appeared with Rowan Atkinson in Laughing Matters (1992) - Visual Comedy, a documentary on the mechanics of visual humour.

As an actor, he has appeared in episodes of TV shows such as Only Fools and Horses ("The Jolly Boys' Outing"), Murder Most Horrid, Dear John, Alas Smith & Jones and The Fast Show.

External links

Mr. Bean

Mr. Bean is a British sitcom created by Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis, and starring Atkinson in the title role. Atkinson co-wrote all fifteen episodes with either Curtis, Robin Driscoll, or both, with Ben Elton co-writing the pilot. Thirteen of the episodes were broadcast on ITV, from the pilot on 1 January 1990, until "Goodnight Mr. Bean" on 31 October 1995. A clip show, "The Best Bits of Mr. Bean", was broadcast on 15 December 1995, and one episode, "Hair by Mr. Bean of London", was not broadcast until 2006 on Nickelodeon.

Based on a character originally developed by Atkinson while he was studying for his master's degree at Oxford University, the series follows the exploits of Mr. Bean, described by Atkinson as "a child in a grown man's body", in solving various problems presented by everyday tasks and often causing disruption in the process. Bean rarely speaks, and the largely physical humour of the series is derived from his interactions with other people and his unusual solutions to situations. The series was influenced by physical performers such as Jacques Tati and comic actors from silent films.

Rowan Atkinson

Rowan Sebastian Atkinson, CBE (born 6 January 1955) is an English actor, comedian, and screenwriter best known for his work on the sitcoms Blackadder and Mr. Bean. Atkinson first came to prominence in the sketch comedy show Not the Nine O'Clock News (1979–82), and via his participation in The Secret Policeman's Balls from 1979. His other work includes the sitcom The Thin Blue Line (1995–1996).

He was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest actors in British comedy, and amongst the top 50 comedians ever, in a 2005 poll of fellow comedians. He has also had cinematic success with his performances in the Mr. Bean movie adaptations Bean and Mr. Bean's Holiday, and also in Johnny English (2003) and its sequel Johnny English Reborn (2011).

Early life and education

Atkinson, the youngest of four brothers, was born in Consett, County Durham, England on 6 January 1955. His parents were Eric Atkinson, a farmer and company director, and Ella May (née Bainbridge), who married on 29 June 1945. His three older brothers are Paul, who died as an infant; Rodney, a Eurosceptic economist who narrowly lost the United Kingdom Independence Party leadership election in 2000; and Rupert. Atkinson was brought up Anglican, and was educated at Durham Choristers School a preparatory school, St. Bees School, and Newcastle University, where he received a degree in Electrical Engineering.

List of Mr. Bean episodes

This is an episode guide for the television series Mr. Bean, starring Rowan Atkinson, which ran between 1 January 1990 and 15 December 1995.

Episodes

Other sketches

The Chair

Comic Relief

A number of short sketches for the Comic Relief telethon have also been produced. The first three were included on a VHS release entitled "Comic Relief – Pick of the Nose", released in 1997 on BBC Video. "Mr Bean's Wedding" was released on the DVD release "Mr. Bean – The Complete Collection".

Films

Music videos

Other appearances

Rowan Atkinson has appeared in character as Bean in many normally factual television broadcasts, sometimes as a publicity stunt to promote a new episode, DVD or film.

Commercials

References

External links